Sunshine creeps into Shadows
by definite maybes
Summary: Lily Evans had it all. She was the smartest witch at Hogwarts, popular, and had a loving boyfriend. Then her world turns upside down. She has lost everything, including herself. Will she find the courage and sheer stubbornness to carry on?


**Sunshine creeps into Shadows**

_Disclaimer: _The only thing I have in common with J.K. Rowling is the same first name (it's spelt differently). Therefore, I am not the millionaire who owns the HP plots and characters. Wish I were, though.

_I finally fixed this chapter and stretched out the plot some. So for those of you who read the old first chapter, no giving away secrets!_

_Thanks for being patient._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 1: Tick, tock**

Lily Evans was getting slightly annoyed. In fact, she was getting _beyond annoyed_. This was the ten-items-or-less aisle at the local grocery store, not rocket science. Not that this old lady would know the difference. She glanced at the clock on the opposite end of the store.

_Ten minutes_

Ten minutes until her twelve hour shift at the store would be over. Ten minutes until she could go home and enjoy her weekend free of price checks and cleanups in aisle five.

Lily blew a strand of her auburn hair out of her face and directed her piercing green, emerald eyes on the lady standing in front of the counter. This lady seemed to be taking forever when in reality; it had only been three minutes. Three minutes and forty-nine seconds (But who was counting?)

She seemed nice enough, the lady, that is. Between thirty and forty, Lily ventured a guess as she took in the slightly grey hair and huge bifocals dangling from a gold chain around the lady's neck. Lily peeked at the clock again.

_Six minutes_

This lady is taking forever! Nobody in their right mind counts out exact change for thirty cans of cat food. No one. Another thing to ponder, Lily suddenly reflected. What is this woman doing with all that cat food?

_Three minutes and forty-five seconds._

"Now where did those four pence go?" Lily heard the lady mumble to herself. The five or so people standing in the line behind her groaned audibly and sighed. She looked at the clock again for what seemed like the hundredth time.

_Four minutes._

Wait a minute! How was that possible? Lily took a deep breath to calm herself. Relax Lily, this will get you nowhere and with your luck you might blow something up, Lily reminded herself.

Blow something up? While that might seem a little strange to you _Muggles_, it seemed like a perfectly natural thing for Lily to think. Of course it would be; Lily was a witch. So why work here at a muggle grocery store? Only Lily knew the answer to that.

_Ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds..._

The old lady left carrying her bags of cat food, but not before giving Lily a cordial smile and a small thank-you. Lily was too immersed in the clock to even respond. In the meantime, the man standing behind the lady in the line had stepped up to the counter and was waiting.

_One second_

Lily grabbed her purse and coat from behind the counter and made a dash for the door. Everyone was too surprised to react until she was too close to the exit. The man in her line called feebly, "Wait miss, come back." Lily wouldn't listen.

After she reached the exit, she slowed down to a brisk walk, her shabby old purse dangling from one of her wrists. It was the beginning of autumn, but the air was crisp as Lily Evans started her walk home from work. She snuggled into her coat and shoved her hands into her pockets as she thought about her day.

As Lily would tell you, it was pointless to buy a car and drive it to work when walking didn't take too long. The subway was also out of the question because it cost money. Apparition wasn't even an option, it just wasn't.

It had been business as usual: absolutely and utterly boring. She heaved a huge sigh as someone on the street looked at her questioningly. She turned the corner.

No matter how hard Lily tried, she could never be comfortable with work, with life in general. She longed for something more adventurous, exciting, and exhilarating. Even as she thought about it, her heart starting beating faster and she couldn't help but smile. She hadn't smiled since...well, since a few months ago, at the beginning of summer.

As Lily made turn after turn and crossed numerous streets, she turned it over in her head again, and again. She knew what she had to, not what she wanted to do, BUT what she had to do. She had been putting it of for far too long now, but she wasn't going to run anymore. She was Lily Evans, for crying out loud! Her parents had always said that she was brave and even if she was scared, she would do it anyway, just because of her pride, and her stubbornness.

Yes, she would go through with it. And anyone who tried to stop her had better think twice. Petunia wasn't going to be too happy about this, though, Lily thought as she finally reached number four, Privet Drive: a charming house in a perfect street, in a stereotypical suburban neighborhood.

Lily just stood on the pavement and observed her house. It wasn't her home anymore; so much about it had changed. Petunia had painted it beige (to blend in with the other houses in the neighborhood) and no longer were lilies and roses grown in the garden, but petunias.

She just sighed and opened the gate to the picket fence surrounded the Evans' yard. She stepped onto the winding cobblestone pathway that led to the front door. All of a sudden, a need to be spontaneous burst forth, and Lily walked straight across the well manicured lawn. She knew that this was expressly forbidden and that if Petunia happened to be looking out the living room window (which she often was), that Lily would be shouted at.

She let out one last sigh and braced herself. This isn't going to be easy, Lily thought, as she opened the brick colored front door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft, but audible _click_.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please review and tell me what you think.

Also, please make note of any spelling or grammar mistakes so that I can fix them.

**THANKS!**


End file.
